I am relatively new at trying to keep stats for my softball team. The situation I have is this: With a guy on first, the batter hits an infield grounder. Infield chooses to throw to 2nd base to get the force. This, I believe, would be considered a fielder's choice, so the batter does not get the base hit, but he still gets on base. So, let's say for the game he goes 2-3 with two base hits and the fielder's choice hit. How does the fielder's choice at-bat count toward his OBP? According the the formulas I have seen to calculate the OBP, his OBP and AVG would be the same (.667), yet he was 'on base' all three times, which should make his OBP higher than his AVG. Can anyone explain this to me?

Thanks!!

Stats are arbitrary.

Stats are arbitrary
 

That I can understand. I was just wondering if there was an official way to look at that sitaution since it must come up a lot. Does MLB have a way of tracking that?

damion,

the correct formula for figuring OB% is:

hits+walks divided by At Bats+walks+sac flies.
*there are other variables, like hit by pitch, but that has no bearing in softball unless it it fast pitch.

to futher answer and confuse you, the time he reaches a base due to a fielder's choice will not count him as being on base. why? according to scoring, the batter could have just as easliy been retired by the defense as the runner from 1st to second. Deal is the defense had an either/or choice and chose to retire the runner closer to scoring. Thus, your batter did not improve the team's situation at all. you are where you started except in a worse spot...runner at first and add an out. does that make sense?

to contradict the formulas you have seen, if OB% and batting avg WERE really calcualted the same, only one of those stas would really exist. just as you don't count walks as base hiits, you don't count them as at bats, but he reached base. So, for OB% you add them in the formula.

Example:
16 AB's, 7hits, 9 walks.
7 (hits) + 9 (walks) *DIVIDED BY* 16 (at bats) + 9 (walks)
16 *DIVIDED BY* 25 = .640 OB%
batting average going 7 for 16 is .438.
Do you see the difference now?
get out your abacus.

to futher answer and confuse you
 

thank you.... that was the piece I was missing. I did not know that a fielder's choice does not count as on base.